Guidedly mounted lift bar having adjustable weight means



JUSTABLE WEIGHT MEANS J. R. WHITE Oct. 10, 1967 GUIDEDLY MOUNTED LIFT BAR HAVING AD 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 16, 1965 INVENTOR FIG .2.

James R. White ATTORNE'S Oct. 10, 1967 J. R. WHITE 3,346,256

GU-IDEDLY MOUNTED LIFT BAR HAVING ADJUSTABLE WEIGHT MEANS Filed Feb. 16, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 8e INVENTOR James R. White BY J W ATTORNEK United States Patent Ofitice 3,346,256 GUIDEDLY MGUNTED LIFT BAR HAVING ADJUSTABLE WEIGHT MEANS James R. White, 2110 Lindell, San Angelo, Tex. 76901 Filed Feb. 16, 1965, Ser. No. 432,992 16 Qlaims. (til. 272--81) ABSTRAGI OF THE DISfJLGSURE An exercising device of weight lifter type combining with two parallel uprights having guide sleeves slidable thereon, respectively, and connected together by a horizontal lifting bar anchored in said sleeves, weight racks of lengths of less than one half that of lifting bar having their outermost ends anchored in the sleeves, respectively, and disposed above the lifting bar with their outermost ends directly connected to the lifting bar, thereby providing a gap between the inner ends of the rack; upstanding guide rods on the racks for centering a desired number of weights on the racks; and a verticall adjustable clamp on one of the uprights below the related sleeve to limit the lowering of the racks and lifting bar.

This invention is a novel exercising device in the nature of a specially designed weight lifter to enable an athlete to perform all of the usual strength and power exercises without changing of screws, bars, or the like, and whereby with the use of this machine the athlete can perform the military press, bench press, half squat, full squat, leg press, behind the head press, two hand curl, french curl, modified dead lift, also perform other exercises by the use of a little imagination on the part of the athlete.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an exercising device or weight lifter of the above purpose designed to provide safety for the athlete, the device involving the use of fixed spaced parallel upright rods guiding a weight rack upon which the weights are supported so that the lifter does not have to worry about balance of the weights while performing heavy lifts, such as presses and squats.

Another object of the invention is to provide an exercising device or lifter of the above type with a safety split clamp adjustable on one upright rod, whereby the weight rack can be located on the upright rods at any desired height, so that the athlete can return the weight rack to a safe level if he should become tired or fatigued, the safety clamp adjustable to the desired height of the weight rack and being designed to hold approximately one-thousand pounds of weight; and the safety clamp being easily tightened and loosened as desired to slide upand-down the upright rod enabling the athlete to do an exercise whenever he desires the clamp to be removed from the line of action.

Another object of the invention is to provide a safety limiting device at the base of one upright rod, the purpose of which is to catch the weight rack before it touches the floor in event of safety clamp failure.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel weight rack having weight placing guide rods thereon which secure the weights on the rack in a flat manner, keeping them from sliding off the rack, the weight rack being so designed as to allow large numbers of weights to be employed, and yet eliminating any binding of the rack guide sleeves on the upright rods, and being designed so locate the weights directly over the points of pressure so that many pounds of pressure may be deployed in such manner as to avoid stress, regardless of the poundage an athlete might use. The weight rack is designed in such a manner as to allow the athlete to do most all 3,346,256 Patented Oct. 10, 1967 kinds of exercises without the annoyance of clumsy apparatus in his way, the spacing between the weight holding racks giving him the freedom to do the exercises, and the spacing between the weight racks accommodating the neck of the athlete when performing the exercises.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lifting bar movable with and placed below the weight rack to allow for hand freedom. By placing the lifting bar below the weight racks the athlete can put his hands around the lifting bar and never fear hand injury.

Another object of the invention is to provide a leverage handle on the weight rack for the athletes aid whereby, in case the athlete while performing becomes tired, his aid or assistant can grasp the leverage handle and give a boost to the upward movement of the rack and lifting bar until the athlete has completed the exercise. The leverage handle can also be used to hold the rack in raised position until someone secures the safety clamp.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an exerciser which is portable and can easily be put together or broken down for shipment.

Thus my exercising device will handle heavy poundages. The design of the weight rack provides the placement of weights directly over the point of pressure, thereby avoiding lifting bar bending which would result in binding of the sliding guides of the weight rack against the upright rods, which would result in malfunctioning. The elimination of the valance factor through the use of the sliding guides for the weight rack on the upright rods gives the athlete freedom to put forth all his efforts into a lift. Moreover, pleasure of lifting is a result of this factor which in turn results in better efforts put forth by the athlete.

I will explain the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one practical embodiment thereof to enable others familiar with the art to adopt and use the same; and will summarize in the claims the novel features of construction, and novel combinations of parts, for which protection is desired.

In said drawings: I

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of my novel exercising device.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view thereof.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged horizontal section on the line 3--3, FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view partly in section on the line 4-4, FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a transverse section on the line 5-5, FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged detail view of a modified weight rack showing the weight rack guide and the adjacent end of the lifting bar.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the weight rack shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 6 of a further modified weight rack.

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the further modified weight rack shown in FIG. 8.

As shown, my novel exercising device comprises a metal floor strip 1 of desired length adapted to be anchored on a floor or the like by screws 2 or the like. Adjacent one end of the strip 1 is a threaded socket 3 receiving the threaded lower end of an upright tube or rod 4. Adjacent the other end of the strip 1 is a socket 5 having a sleeve therearound of considerably greater height than the socket 3, socket 5 being also threaded to receive the lower threaded end of an upright tube or rod 6 spaced from and parallel with the upright 4. The uprights 4 and 6 are of the same height, terminating below the roof or ceiling, and as shown in FIG. 4, the upper end of each upright 4 and 6 is closed by a welded plug or disk 7 having a tapped bore 7:: therein, for the purpose hereinafter described.

Extending between the uprights 4 and 6 at the upper ends thereof is an angle bar 8 having its horizontal flange seated upon the tops of the uprights 4- and 6, and screws or bolts extend through perforations in the horizontal leg of bar 8 aligned with the tapped bores 70:, thereby maintaining the upper ends of the bars 4 and 6 in rigid spaced relation.

Preferably the strip 1 and uprights 4 and 6 would be located adjacent the wall W (FIG. 4) of a room or other enclosure, but spaced from said wall, and in order to anchor the upper ends of the uprights 4 and 6 to the wall, I provide angle irons as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 having their horizontal flanges perforated and secured by the same screws or bolts 9 which anchor the angle bar 8 to the uprights 4 and 6. The outer ends of the angle bars 10 are provided with face plates 11 secured to the Wall by screws or bolts 12. The above construction forms a rigid frame adapted to carry the weights, hereinafter described, and maintain the uprights 4 and 6 in fixed perpendicular and parallel relation.

Slidably mounted on the uprights 4 and 6 are rack guides 13 which are connected together by a horizontal lifting bar 1 1 having its ends respectively rigidly secured in the guides 13 in any desired manner, said lifting bar 14 being either plain or covered with padding and used by the athlete to place his hands or feet thereon, or to place his body thereagainst, while performing his exercises, the guides 13 rising and falling simultaneously on the uprights 4 and 6 as the lifting bar 14 is raised or lowered by the athlete.

In order to maintain the guides 13 and lifting bar 14 in adjusted position on the uprights I provide a safety clamp 15 on the upright 6 below the guide sleeve 13, the safety clamp 15 being of the split sleeve type as shown, and having parallel spaced lugs 16 at opposite sides of the split, which lugs are perforated, and one of which perforations is threaded to receive a hand clamping screw 17 which will draw the lugs 16 together to compress the clamp around the upright 6, thereby preventing lowering of the guide sleeve 13 and lifting bar 14. Thus the safety clamp 15 may be used to limit the lowering of the sleeve 13 and lifting bar 14 to any desired height on the uprights.

Fixedly secured to each guide 13 is a weight rack 18 which, as shown in FIG. 3, consists of a flat plate having flanged edges extending from its sleeve 13 above the lifting bar 1 but being of length less than half the length of the pressing bar 14 so as to form a shoulder-gap or space between the inner ends of the tWo weight racks 18, as shown in FIG. 3. The inner end of each weight rack 18 is turned downwardly as at 18a to rest upon the lifting bar 14 so as to maintain the upper face of the weight rack 18 in substantially horizontal position. At approximately the center of each weight rack 1% is an upstanding rod 19 forming a weight placing guide and used to secure the superimposed weights on the weight rack 18 while the athlete is using the device, the weights being indicated at 26 in FIG. 1 and having the usual radial slot receiving the guide rod 19, whereby any number of weights 211 may be placed upon the weight racks 18 or remofed therefrom as desired by the athlete, the rods 19 maintaining the weights 26 on the weight racks 18 without danger of the weights slipping off the bars 19 during operation of the device. Under the inner ends 18a of the weight racks 18 are foot press plates 26 disposed horizontally below the lifting bar 14 by means of brackets 21 or the like, the plates being used for pressing the athletes feet thereagainst while performing leg presses.

The weight rack 18 on upright 4 is provided at its outer end with a leverage handle 22 which may be used for holding the weight rack assembly in raised position by the athlete or his aid until the safety clamp 15 has been adjusted as to height and secured on its upright 6.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show a modified weight rack in which the weight rack 18b is of somewhat simplified constructions, the same comprising a flat strip secured to its related rack guide 13 and having its inner end curved downwardly or rounded as at 18a to meet the lifting bar 14. The rack 18b carries the weight guide rod 19 and the foot rest 20. If desired, the foot guide 29 may be provided on only one of the weight racks 13b, instead of on both racks 1812, the provision of the one foot guide 20 aiding in performing the dead lift.

In FIGS. 8 and 9, a further modified weight rack is shown in which the weight rack 18b is generally similar to that shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and carries the weight guide rod 19, and the inner end 18a is curved or rounded downwardly to meet the lifting bar 14, as in FIGS. 6 and 7. However, half of each of the foot presser plates 20 are omitted in this modification, and an arcuate recess (FIG. 9) or groove is provided adjacent the inner portion of the rack 18b at one side thereof, which groove 180 is particularly useful in performing the high pull exercise, the groove 18c allowing the hand and wrist of the athlete to be placed on the bar 14 in order that the upward pull can be performed, and the groove 18c accommodating the wrist and hand of the athlete to allow for high pulls to the shoulder. In addition to the weight guide bar 19, an extension of the rack 18b is provided at the outer end of the rack 1812 on the opposite side of the upright 6, the extension being numbered 1801, its inner end being secured to the guide sleeve 13, and the extension carrying an additional weight guide rod 19a. In this manner the extension 166! is substantially integral with the normal weight rack 18!), the purpose of the extension 18d being to receive weights 20 disposed at the outside of the upright 6 or 4 so that the hands of the athlete may be placed in the wrist and hand grooves 18c of the racks 181; without interference of the weights 2%.

If desired, the extension 18d may be reinforced by a stabilizer 16a to maintain the racks 18b and 18d in constant alignment, notwithstanding the amount of weight on the supplemental weight guides 19a of racks 18d.

The main purpose and design of the special lifter is to enable the athlete to do all of the main strength and power exercises without changing any screws, bars, etc. With the use of this machine he can do the military press, bench press, half squat, full squat, leg press, behind the head press, two hand curl, French curl, and the modified dead lift. Other exercises can be performed by the use of a little imagination.

My special lifter also provides for safety. By the use of the upright rods 4- and 6 the athlete does not have to worry about balance While performing heavy lifts, such as presses and squats. The safety split clamp 15 provides still another safety factor. It can be placed at the desired height so that the athlete can return the weights 20 at a safe level when becoming tired or fatigued. A third safety feature is that of the safety rod 5. Its purpose is to catch the weight rack 18 before it touches the floor in case of failure of clamp 15. A fourth safety factor is the construction of the weight rack 18. The weight placing guide 9 secures the weights in a flat manner keeping them from sliding off the rack. One other safety feature is the leverage handle 22. This handle is for the lifters aid. In case the lifter becomes too tired his aid can grasp the leverage handle 22 and give a boost to the upward movement of the bar 14 until the lifter has completed the exercise. It can also be used to hold the rack up until someone (the lifter) secures the safety clamp 15.

My special lifter is designed to handle heavy poundages. The design of the weight rack provides the placement of weights 20 directly over the point of pressure. This in turn avoids bar bend which would result in binding of the sliding guides 13 against the upright rods 4 and 6. The result would then be malfunction. The elimination of the balance factor through the use of the sliding guides 18 and upright rods 4 and 6 gives the lifter the freedom to put forth all his efforts into a lift. Moreover, pleasure of lifting is a result of this factor which in turn results in better efforts put forth by the lifter.

I do not limit my invention to the exact forms shown in the drawings, but obviously changes may be made therein within the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. An exercising device comprising a pair of spaced parallel uprights; a base strip connecting the lower ends of the uprights and adapted to be anchored to a floor; a top bar connecting the upper ends of the uprights; means for connecting the top bar to a fixed wall to rigidly maintain the uprights in spaced relation to said wall; guide sleeves slidably mounted on said uprights respectively; a horizontal lifting bar having its ends anchored in said sleeves; weight racks having their outermost ends anchored in said sleeves respectively above said lifting bar and their innermost ends directly connected to the lifting bar; said racks being respectively of less length than half the length of the lifting bar thereby providing a gap between the inner ends of the racks; upstanding guide rods on said racks respectively adapted to center a desired number of weights on the said racks; and a vertically adjustable clamp on one of said uprights below the related sleeve adapted to limit the lowering of the racks and lifting bar.

2. In a device as set forth in claim 1, means adjacent the lower end of one upright to prevent the racks and lifting bar from touching the floor in event of clamp failure.

3. In a device as set forth in claim 1, said base strip having sockets receiving the lower ends of the uprights; and means on one upright to prevent the racks and lifting bar from touching the floor in event of failure of the clamp.

4. In a device as set forth in claim 1, one of said racks having a handle on its outer end whereby the racks and lifting bar may be held in desired elevated height until the clamp is adjusted.

5. In a device as set forth in claim 1, said uprights comprising hollow tubes; plugs closing the upper ends of the tubes, said plugs having tapped central bores; said top bar comprising an angle iron having its horizontal flange seating on said tubes and having perforations aligned with said tapped bores; and said connecting means comprising a pair of angle bars having the outer ends of their horizontal flanges seating upon the top bar flange and having perforations aligned with said tapped bores; the inner ends of said pair of angle irons having face plates adapted to be anchored to said Wall; and bolts extending through said perforations in the top bar and pair of angle irons and engaging said tapped bores of the plugs.

6. In a device as set forth in claim 1, said racks each comprising a flat plate having flanged edges; and a bracket at the inner end of the rack seating upon said lifting bar and maintaining the rack spaced from the lifting bar.

7. In a device as set forth in claim 1, said racks each comprising a substantially fiat strip having its inner end curved downwardly and engaging the lifting bar to main tain the main portion of the strip spaced from the lifting bar.

8. In a device as set forth in claim 7, the inner portion of said strip having an arcuate recess at one side thereof to allow the hand and wrist of the athlete to be placed on the lifting bar without interference with the rack or weights carried thereon; an extension rack mounted on the related sleeve and extending to the opposite side of the upright and forming a continuation of its related first rack; and an auxiliary upstanding guide rod at the approximate center of the extension rack adapted to center said desired number of weights thereon to avoid interference With the hands and wrists of the athlete.

9. An exercising device comprising a pair of spaced parallel uprights; a base strip connecting the lower ends of the uprights and adapted to be anchored on a floor; a top bar connecting the upper ends of the uprights; means for connecting the top bar to a fixed wall to rigidly maintain the uprights in fixed spaced relation to said wall;

guide sleeves slidably mounted on said uprights respectively; a horizontal lifting bar having its ends anchored in said sleeves; Weight racks having their outer ends anhored in said sleeves respectively above said lifting bar and having their inner ends seating upon said lifting bar, said racks being respectively of less length than half the length of the lifting bar thereby providing a gap between the inner ends of the racks; upstanding guide rods at the approximate centers of the racks respectively adapted to center a desired number of weights on the tops of said racks; foot press plates on the undersides of the racks adjacent their inner ends and disposed below said lifting bar, and a vertically adjustable clamp on one of said uprights below its related sleeve adapted to limit the lowering of the racks and lifting bar.

10. In a device as set forth in claim 9, means adjacent the lower end of one upright to prevent the racks and lifting bar from touching the floor in event of clamp failure.

11. In a device as set forth in claim 9, said base strip having sockets receiving the lower ends of the uprights; and means on one upright to prevent the racks and lifting bar from touching the floor in event of failure of the clamp.

12. In a device as set forth in claim 9, one of said racks having a handle on its outer end whereby the racks and lifting bar may be held in desired elevated height until the clamp is adjusted.

13. In a device as set forth in claim 9, said uprights comprising hollow tubes; plugs closing the upper ends of the tubes, said plugs having tapped central bores; said top bar comprising an angle iron having its horizontal flange seating on said tubes and having perforations aligned with said tapped bores; and said connecting means comprising a pair of angle bars having the outer ends of their horizontal flanges seating upon the top bar flange and having perforations aligned with said tapped bores; the inner ends of said pair of angle irons having face plates adapted to be anchored to said wall; and bolts extending through said perforations in the top bar and pair of angle irons and engaging said tapped bores of the plugs.

14. In a device as set forth in claim 9, said racks each comprising a flat plate having flanged edges; and a bracket at the inner end of the rack seating upon said lifting bar and maintaining the rack spaced from the lifting bar.

15. In a device as set forth in claim 9, said racks each comprising a substantially flat strip having its inner end curved downwardly and engaging the lifting bar to maintain the main portion of the strip spaced from the lifting bar.

16. In a device as set forth in claim 15, the inner portion of said strip having an arcuate recess at one side thereof to allow the hand and Wrist of the athlete to be placed on the lifting bar Without interference with the rack or weights carried thereon; an extension rack mounted on the related sleeve and extending to the opposite side of the upright and forming a continuation of its related first rack; and an auxiliary upstanding guide rod at the approximate center of the extension rack adapted to center said desired number of Weights thereon to avoid interference with the hands and wrists of the athlete.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,189,347 6/1965 Dodge 272-81 3,190,648 6/ 1965 Kallenbach 27279 3,235,255 2/1966 Leflar 27281 3,290,044 12/1966 Krodsen et al 272-81 FOREIGN PATENTS 524,962 5/1956 Canada. 779,572 1/ 1935 France.

F. BARRY SHAY, Primary Examiner.

W. R. BROWNE, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN EXERCISING DEVICE COMPRISING A PAIR OF SPACED PARALLEL UPRIGHTS; A BASE STRIP CONNECTING THE LOWER ENDS OF THE UPRIGHTS AND ADAPTED TO BE ANCHORED TO A FLOOR; A TOP BAR CONNECTING THE UPPER ENDS OF THE UPRIGHTS; MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE TOP BAR TO A FIXED WALL TO RIGIDLY MAINTAIN THE UPRIGHTS IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID WALL; GUIDE SLEEVES SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID UPRIGHTS RESPECTIVELY; A HORIZONTAL LIFTING BAR HAVING ITS ENDS ANCHORED IN SAID SLEEVES; WEIGHT RACKS HAVING THEIR OUTERMOST ENDS ANCHORED IN SAID SLEEVES RESPECTIVELY ABOVE SAID LIFTING BAR AND THEIR INNERMOST ENDS DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO THE LIFTING BAR; SAID RACKS BEING RESPECTIVELY OF LESS LENGTH THAN HALF THE LENGTH OF THE LIFTING BAR THEREBY PROVIDING A GAP BETWEEN THE INNER ENDS OF THE RACKS; UPSTANDING GUIDE RODS ON SAID RACKS RESPECTIVELY ADAPTED TO CENTER A DESIRED NUMBER OF WEIGHTS ON THE SAID RACKS; AND A VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE CLAMP ON ONE OF SAID UPRIGHTS BELOW THE RELATED SLEEVE ADAPTED TO LIMIT THE LOWERING OF THE RACKS AND LIFTING BAR. 